To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects of the West Coast Main Line infrastructure on London Midland's recent performance. (291231)

London Midland's performance has been affected in recent months by various failures of Network Rail's infrastructure. Joint action plans are in place between Network Rail and London Midland to address these issues, with Network Rail committing additional engineers and trouble shooters during the busiest times of the day at around 20 locations. Network Rail is also accelerating the replacement of less reliable equipment, including points, power and signalling cables. Overall recent performance has improved.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether he plans to review the level of subsidy provided to London Midland in light of its recent performance. (291232)

There are no plans to review the level of subsidy provided to London Midland in light of its recent performance.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent assessment he has made of London Midland's ability to meet the terms of its franchise commitments. (291233)

The Department for Transport continues to assess London Midland's ability to meet the terms of its franchise commitments. Where an operator does not meet its contractual commitments, the Department follows the processes which are set out in the enforcement policy. A copy of the enforcement policy can be located on the Department's website at

http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/archive/2008/rfaandccmain/results.pdf